Nature walk leads grand opening at Tyger-10 Park

ROEBUCK - Reminiscent of an episode of ETV’s “NatureScene” program, naturalist Rudy Mancke led outdoors enthusiasts on a nature walk through Spartanburg County’s first public park on the Tyger River.

By Jenny Arnoldjennifer.arnold@shj.com

ROEBUCK - Reminiscent of an episode of ETV’s “NatureScene” program, naturalist Rudy Mancke led outdoors enthusiasts on a nature walk through Spartanburg County’s first public park on the Tyger River.The Tyger River Foundation celebrated the grand opening of Tyger-10 Park, off Walnut Grove Road, on Sunday, although the park opened in June. The park is about a quarter mile down from where the North, Middle and South Tyger River branches converge.Mancke is familiar throughout South Carolina as the former host of “NatureScene.” He got his start as a naturalist exploring the Tyger Rivers.Armed with a net and binoculars, Mancke started the walk by pointing out trees, grasses, bushes, rocks, birds and insects to his rapt audience. Mancke delighted in every small discovery along the way, venturing forth at a leisurely pace similar to those on his TV show.“I love the Piedmont,” he said, stopping to look skyward. “I love this place.”The sky was a cloudless, Carolina blue on Sunday, reflected in indigo and azure along the river, which bubbled white around the rocks. Mancke, like a walking field guide of knowledge, had an explanation for the beautiful late fall weather.“It’s a pretty day,” Mancke said. “This is a dome of high pressure. It might even be warm enough to see a little reptile today — wouldn’t that be a great experience?”The walk started out at a building that will become Tyger-10’s nature center, which still is in the works. The group crossed Walnut Grove Road and walked on a trail that includes a quarter-mile of river frontage. As Mancke spoke, he often mixed in anecdotes about the things his grandmother told him while he was growing up on Duncan Park lake in Spartanburg.About the holly growing along a ridge at the river: “That was my grandmother’s favorite little corsage making thing this time of year,” he said, then described how the plants reproduce.

On the juniper trees: “Birds love juniper bark for their nests, especially cardinals,” he said.Of the river birch trees in abundance along the Tyger, Mancke said he wrote his first love letter on its smooth bark.“I was in the first grade at Pine Street school, girl named Ann,” he said. “She probably tossed it, but it meant a lot to me.”Stopping to pick up a familiar, long-legged spider, Mancke explained that the “grand-daddy long legs,” which has no fangs or venom, is a gardener’s best friend because it eats aphids.Children in the group crowded around as Mancke picked up leaves and twigs and spoke about different organisms. They gathered at the river’s edge as Mancke launched half of a hickory shell, shaped like a boat, into the current.The Tyger River Foundation’s efforts to preserve green space in Spartanburg County are important to future generations, said Sallie Pettigrew, who has lived in Spartanburg County for 55 years.“It’s our heritage, it’s our geography, and it’s very important to preserve it and make it available to the public for our children,” said Pettigrew, who came to the opening with her husband, Neil, and grandchildren, Tucker, 7, and Olivia, 3. “This is really quite a jewel.”Tyger River Foundation president Julian Hankinson said he was pleased with Sunday’s turnout for the grand opening. He also enjoyed Mancke leading the park’s first nature walk.“I’ve seen him 1,000 times and each time is always better than the last,” Hankinson said with a smile.The 10-acre, Tyger-10 Park has been a work in progress for the foundation for about three years. It finally opened to the public in early June as the river’s first public access point.

The foundation is establishing a 65-acre piece of property that will be preserved for future generations. It also plans to restore the historic Anderson Mill. The mill, on the Tyger, was the meeting place for the first court held in Spartanburg County in 1785.Mancke said Sunday’s walk near where he got his start exploring the nature of the Palmetto State was a pleasure.“It was good to be back near home,” he said. “What a great place, huh?”Tyger-10, off Exit 35 on Interstate 26, is open every day.For details about the park or how to get involved with the Tyger River Foundation, visit www.tygerriver.org.

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